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Here's how I envision the ultimate kitchen: I get home from work, wander into the kitchen and fire up the computer. I'm not sure what I'm in the mood for; I want something pasta-based that I can throw together quickly. I punch in my desires and the software spits out a list of recipes. I choose a recipe that features whole wheat linguini with garlic oil and chopped tomatoes.

I get the linguini out of the cupboarda full, 1-pound boxand wave it in front of the computer. The PC scans it and asks how much I plan to use. I'm cooking for two, so I say half a pound (we're hungry). The computer updates its database of my kitchen ingredients. I ask whether we have basil before searching the spice rack; there should be one-fourth of a container. Better add it to the shopping list, which I do with one click. The computer contacts my local grocery store and downloads current prices of the spice in various brands. Then, I load up an MP3 playlistthe songs are stored on my office PCto entertain me while I chop the garlic and tomatoes and boil the pasta.

Is that a realistic scenario? Some of it is far-fetched from what's available to the home user today, such as the bar-code scanner linked to an ingredient database and connectivity to the supermarket to grab prices. Other thingssuch as having a computer in the kitchen that communicates with your home network, searching for recipes by ingredient and cooking time and accessing digital entertainmentare possible today with the right PC and software.

Joel Durham Jr. has loved computers, technology, and gaming since he was a kid, first enjoying the wonders of the Atari 2600 and later indulging in the fabulous graphics of the Commodore 64. His lust for all things technical drove him to eventually seek employment: he landed a job at Computer Concepts, a Rochester-based PC consulting and repair firm, where the company president took Joel on as his apprentice. Within a year, Joel was running the service shop, installing networks for clients, and building systems...
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